Handheld electronic devices such as mobile phones have a limited number of available buttons for a user to perform desired functions. Standard mobile phones, for example, have a 12-key keypad, and often have additional navigational keys and “soft keys”.
Soft keys are familiar buttons, located alongside a display device, which perform functions corresponding to text descriptors shown at any given time on the display device.
In distinction, hard keys have fixed functionalities generally indicated by symbols printed on the keys themselves, or printed on the keypad surface alongside the corresponding keys.
In this regard, reference is now made to FIG. 1, which is an illustration of a prior art keypad with soft keys and hard keys. The soft keys have variable functionalities and descriptors. The soft keys shown on the left have “back” and “next” functionalities, as indicated by their descriptors. The soft keys on the right have “SMS” and “Profiles” functionalities, as indicated by their descriptors. The hard keys shown on the left and on the right have the same functionalities; namely, inputting the digits 0-9 and the symbols “*” and “#”, and call answer and call hang up.
Soft keys are of great advantage in enabling more functionality using a limited keypad. However, one drawback with the use of soft keys is that their descriptors occupy space on the limited display screen, thus reducing available space on the screen for displaying other content.
It would thus be of advantage to have soft keys that do not reduce the screen space available for displaying other content.